@TPM and @Francis7 have been both kind to me. The reality is they both have valid points and we all come from different backgrounds and biases. It's those differences that offer multifaceted points to think about.
My own perspective. My son's at a juco. I sent him there in almost 100% health. His only area of concern was a recovering pulled hamstring from early summer. He no longer had pain and was nearly back to full speed. His physician gave him the green light. We researched a lot before sending him to his school. We reviewed players that were there, watched previous games, researched incoming players and felt my son had a good chance of playing as a freshman. My biggest concern was the distance from home, whether the coaches/team would be accepting of him, and how mid year transfers/drop downs would impact his playing potential.
In the fall he arrived ready to go. He found that indeed his preparation paid off in the weight room because he was significantly stronger than many of the freshman. He's smaller than many, but was lifting more than others. He was 2nd fastest in home to 1st and hit numerous HR in BP. What he wasn't prepared for was the jump in pitching. He hadn't seen enough velocity. He had tried prepping with a machine, but that only goes so far. He needed to see live pitching. (We tried getting him on a collegiate summer league for the time between HS and college, but unless you have connections...don't bother). So his fall season was his transition time to get adjusted. His fall AVG wasn't great, but we could see he was adjusting and improving. By the time he came home for winter break he finally felt ready and was looking forward to the spring season.
As a parent, I don't interact with coaches. When he was being recruited my son had a few questions, but I had just one additional question for the coaches when we met with them. I asked if they anticipated bringing in transfers mid year. They said they don't actively recruit, but they usually get a couple (which was accurate from my research). Coach went on to say that they give everyone a fair opportunity regardless of background. That was all I wanted, so that was a solid response for me.
As expected he returned to school to find some had left and new faces replaced the players that had left. He got to work. His coaches have done a solid job in running him through drills. He definitely feels that he is a much better ball player than when he first arrived. The reality is the training is grueling and intense. There is a need for balance as it is a bit too much at times and overuse injuries are happening. The culture is that you need to suck it up because it's through the pain that gains are made. So guys suck it up, when in reality it would be better for them to also remember the value of recovery. There's large rosters, there's someone else to play if a player needs to recover, but this culture of playing through injury is alive and well. With everyone competing for playing time and knowing there's several guys who are just about as good as you...everyone sucks it up. You suck it up. You deal with whatever your coach you have because you love the game and you know you have something to offer. Some are lucky and have great coaches and they are out there. One of my former coworkers left teaching the same time I did so he could coach full time in higher ed and he's an outstanding individual. But every coach out there has faults. These faults might be thinking effective coaching requires mockery, degradation, excessive/over the top drilling/training, or maybe they let their emotions lead them to poor decisions. Decisions of favoritism, unnecessary punishment, blame.
My own son has been dealing with shoulder pain. He had the trainer check it out. Was told they don't think it's a torn labrum and he was sent on his way to continue. He changed his throwing arm path to compensate. He had a teammate who pulled his hamstring. That guy was given pain medication so he could continue to travel. Then there's the guys that have been self medicating through legal and banned substances. It's disappointing to him to know that's what some guys do and he questions if he'll ever have a fair chance. Some guys use their favoritism as an advantage. Other player's recognize it too, but that's life.
Unfortunately there's only 9 positions on the field. Half the roster is pitchers and it's impossible for one pitcher to be used exclusively, but position players don't. Those position players can have ups and downs, so you may end up waiting for an opportunity while you watch others be in a slump. Does it mean you aren't good enough? Maybe, but it just might mean the guy playing in front of you is favored, maybe his seniority has value, maybe the coaches prefer a guy that will hit one out of the park for every 20 strike outs. There is a place for every player out there, but sometimes even if you're at the right level it doesn't mean you'll get to play. You can stick it out and hope you get an opportunity OR you evaluate and determine your odds of playing may increase if you find a new home. Maybe life throws other issues your way and you decide it's time to retire from being a player because it's no longer worth the time, bodily wear and tear, finances, etc.
My son's learned a lot up to this point. He's grown a lot physical, mentally, and also in independence and maturity. It made him realize he loves the game, he also realized all the previous people that said he could play in college were right. They were also right on their evaluation of what level he should aim for. He's more than ever confident in his abilities as a baseball player. He also learned life's not fair and not everyone is nice and respectful. Not sure how the rest of the season will go, but we're taking everyone's advice and trying to to enjoy the ride and focus on the positives.
Apologies for the long post, but when your usual circle doesn't understand what it's like to be a parent of a college baseball player... it's super nice to know you have friends in this forum who can relate.
